3 Dead, Dozens injured, Amid Violent White Nationalist Rally

One civilian was killed when a car rammed into a crowd of counter-protestors at a white nationalist rally, and two state troopers responding to the incident died in a helicopter crash. |
Photo: Virginia State Police

SARAH RANKIN, Associated PressAugust 13, 2017 08:42 AM

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - The mayor of Charlottesville blamed the nation's intensifying political divisions for the violent clashes between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters that left three dead.

Three were killed and dozens were injured amid what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade to protest the city's decision to remove a Confederate monument. A car rammed into a crowd of protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman, and a state police helicopter crashed into the woods, leaving two troopers onboard dead.

President Donald Trump criticized the violence and called for a return to law and order. But his critics say his racially-tinged rhetoric has exacerbated the nation's political tensions and emboldened racists.